BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its Athlete of the Week award winners for outdoor track & field and golf Tuesday. Student-athletes from Bethel, Concordia, Saint Benedict, and St. Scholastica claimed the Conference's weekly honors.
The MIAC Athlete of the Week awards are nominated by the Conference's sports information directors and selected by MIAC staff. Throughout the spring season, team sports (baseball, softball, and tennis) Athletes of the Week will be recognized on Monday afternoons, with individual sports (golf and indoor track & field) announced on Tuesday afternoons. The winners of the latest Athlete of the Week awards are listed below, along with details on their outstanding performances.
To view each sport's 2023-24 Athlete of the Week home page, navigate to the 2023-24 Athlete of the Week archive for complete details on each week's selections and winners.
MIAC Men's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week
Josh Sampson
Bethel University
Gr.
Arden Hills, Minn. | Mounds View
Josh Sampson won the 400-meter hurdles at Hamline’s Meet of the UnSaintly on 5/3 with a time of 53.12. It was just the second time in his collegiate career that Sampson raced in the event. His time ranks 18th in NCAA Division III this season.
MIAC Men's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week
Cooper Folkestad
Concordia College
Sr.
Wadena, Minn. | Wadena-Deer Creek
Cooper Folkestad placed second in the shot put and third in the discus at the NDSU Tuneup on 5/3. Folkestad’s shot put distance of 16.56 meters (54’ 4”) ranks 13th in NCAA Division III this season, while his personal record discus distance of 51.95 meters (170’ 5”) is 10th in the country.
MIAC Women's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week
Fiona Smith
College of Saint Benedict
Sr.
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Fiona Smith won the 1,500-meter run at the Joe Sweeney Invitational on 5/1 with a time of 4:25.80. The time was 0.29 seconds off her all-time best time in the event and ranks fifth in NCAA Division III this season.
MIAC Women's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week
Lily Beneke
The College of St. Scholastica
Sr.
Green Isle, Minn. | Sibley East
Lily Beneke claimed two first-place finishes over the weekend in the hammer throw. At the Maverick Open on 5/1, she broke her third facility and meet record this season with a toss of 57.89 meters (189' 11"). That throw was a new-season best and ranked fourth on the D-III qualifying list. Beneke's throw of 57.45 meters (188' 6”) just missed another facility record at the Ole Open on 5/4, as she claimed her fourth first-place finish of the season.
MIAC Men's Golf Athlete of the Week
David Morton
Bethel University
Sr.
Deephaven, Minn.
David Morton had a pair of second-place finishes while leading the Royals to the two lowest round scores in program history. On 5/4 at the Bethel Spring Triangular, he fired a three-under-par 68 behind four birdies. In the Bethel Spring Quad on 5/5, he shot a career-low four-under-par 67 behind a pair of birdies while also eagling the par-five second hole that played 503 yards.
MIAC Women's Golf Athlete of the Week
Greta McArthur
Bethel College
Jr.
Fargo, N.D. | Shanley
Greta McArthur tied for first in both of her one-round meets over the weekend, carding a three-over-par 75 at Legacy Golf Course in Faribault, Minn. on 5/4 and scoring an even-par 72 at Rush Creek in Maple Grove on 5/5. Carleton and St. Catherine co-hosted both events.